Traverse City Record-Eagle

Beach Bums

July 24, 2012

Maunus ends TC home win streak

Two-run single in 10th dooms Bums

By JAMES COOK jcook@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Leave it to a former Beach Bum to end Traverse City's home win streak.

The Beach Bums hadn't lost at home since June 15, but that all came to an end when Kyle Maunus, who played in Traverse City from 2008-09, delivered with a two-out bloop single to right field to drive in a pair of runs in the 10th inning as Joliet won 5-3 in a game that stretched to nearly four hours.

Maunus flared a full count pitch off closer Scott Mueller to right to score Abel Nieves and David Christiansen.

The Beach Bums are 21-5 at Wuerfel Park this season.

Maunus had earlier grounded into an inning-ending, bases-loaded double play in the fourth. TC starter Brooks Belter was behind 3-0 in the count to Maunus before getting the grounder to Kyle Eveland to start a 6-4-3 twin killing.

Belter and the Bums were enjoying a 3-0 lead when the Slammers cut into the lead with a two-run single in the fifth inning by Nieves. Belter had walked two, struck out two and thrown a wild pitch previously in the frame, and got out of the inning without further damage by fanning Erik Lis.

Joliet was able to knot it up with an RBI single by Nieves in the seventh off Matt Miller, who tossed three innings.

Belter finished with six strikeouts in five innings. He gave up four hits and four walks.

The Beach Bums went up 3-0 in the first inning. Brian Heere led off with a single, Ryan Still walked and Chase Burch was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Jeff Flagg, who delivered a two-run single. Kyle Colligan made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to score Burch.

Traverse City threatened in the seventh, as Burch lined a single into left field, and manager Gregg Langbehn held up Heere at third as outfielder David Fox fired an on-target bullet to the plate. Reliever Daniel Carela fanned Flagg with a 97-mile-per-hour fastball, and Colligan grounded out to end the inning.

Sean Gusrang led off the eighth with a walk and was moved over by Marcus Nidiffer and Kyle Eveland, but Heere struck out to end the frame.

Patrick Norris almost put the Slammers up in the ninth with a line drive over the right-field wall that was barely foul.

The Slammers used six pitchers in the win, with Mike Barsotti earning the win and Amalio Diaz notching the save. Mueller took the loss.

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